The Nation

President Reagan also signed legislation to step up federal efforts against the growing hazard of contaminated tap water, and expressed concern that some of the new law's federal enforcement provisions were not assigned to the states. The measure broadens and strengthens the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. It will nearly double spending for drinking water purity, with an average of $164.4 million a year allocated for five years. It also establishes a national program to protect vital underground sources of drinking water.